I’m one of those radical modernists who uses both hands and shaves with both sides of the blade when using a kamisori.
IMO this is a logical extension and development of the living tradition as it moves into 21st Century Western Culture.
So why not just hone the blade 1:1 Ura/Omote?
The normal objection to this is that a 1:1 ratio will quickly wear the jigane of the Omote completely flat which makes further sharpening almost impossible.
But the Omote side is a soft near-wedge isn’t it?
So I just treated honing in the Omote side like I’d treat a Sheffield wedge by lifting the spine slightly when honing like the Sheffield cutlers did - of course they didn’t have electrical tape in the 1860s.
Also since I am touching up the edge in pasted balsa every shave I don’t expect to take this razor back to the stones any time soon.
So I put this Iwasaki through a normal honing progression using a 1:1 ratio and lifting the spine when honing on the Omote.
The result is very good indeed.
When I first encountered Kamisori I thought that I would have to shave one-handed with only one side of the blade to the face at all times and it would require discovering the obscure honing ratio appropriate to that blade.
All respect to the people who maintain and recreate that old traditional use of these beautiful razors.
But here in the 21st Century I can use both sides of the blade and hone it like a Dovo (as long as you lift the spine on the Omote!)
Hurray - it’s a lot easier than I thought.
IMO this is a logical extension and development of the living tradition as it moves into 21st Century Western Culture.
So why not just hone the blade 1:1 Ura/Omote?
The normal objection to this is that a 1:1 ratio will quickly wear the jigane of the Omote completely flat which makes further sharpening almost impossible.
But the Omote side is a soft near-wedge isn’t it?
So I just treated honing in the Omote side like I’d treat a Sheffield wedge by lifting the spine slightly when honing like the Sheffield cutlers did - of course they didn’t have electrical tape in the 1860s.
Also since I am touching up the edge in pasted balsa every shave I don’t expect to take this razor back to the stones any time soon.
So I put this Iwasaki through a normal honing progression using a 1:1 ratio and lifting the spine when honing on the Omote.
The result is very good indeed.
When I first encountered Kamisori I thought that I would have to shave one-handed with only one side of the blade to the face at all times and it would require discovering the obscure honing ratio appropriate to that blade.
All respect to the people who maintain and recreate that old traditional use of these beautiful razors.
But here in the 21st Century I can use both sides of the blade and hone it like a Dovo (as long as you lift the spine on the Omote!)
Hurray - it’s a lot easier than I thought.